Whaling ships waiting for departure to join the resumption of commercial whaling at a port in Kushiro, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan on Monday. /VCG Photo

Japanese fishermen will set sail on Monday to hunt whales as Japan resumes commercial whaling for the first time in 30 years. /VCG Photo

Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in December last year, sparking international criticism from activists and anti-whaling countries. /VCG Photo

However, in Japan, the decision was backed by whaling communities, with Tokyo defending it as a tradition that other countries should not interfere with. /VCG Photo

The IWC banned commercial whaling in 1982, and the ban went into effect globally in 1986. Japan had since limited its activities to hunt whales for "scientific" purposes. /VCG Photo